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Abstract
To evaluate the tomographic features of the retina in patients with severe myopia
and posterior staphyloma.
In a prospective study of 32 eyes of 19 consecutive patients with severe myopia and
posterior staphyloma, we performed complete ophthalmic examinations and studied cross-sectional
images of the macula with optical coherence tomography. Patients' age ranged from
41 to 83 years (average, 62.7 years). Best-corrected visual acuity ranged from 20/500
to 20/40 (average, 20/120). The study included 26 phakic and six pseudophakic eyes.
The refractive errors of 26 phakic eyes ranged from -8 to -31 diopters (average, -16.7
diopters). Although refractive errors were within -8 diopters in six pseudophakic
eyes, the eyes had apparent posterior staphyloma. The axial lengths measured by A-mode
ultrasonography ranged from 25.7 to 32.7 mm (average, 29.2 mm). Slit-lamp examination
with contact lens showed that none of the eyes had a macular hole.
In nine eyes with shallow retinal elevation on slit-lamp examination, optical coherence
tomography disclosed a foveal retinal detachment with retinoschisis in eight eyes
and a foveal retinal detachment in one eye. Two of the remaining 23 eyes had retinoschisis.
Foveal retinal detachment and retinoschisis are common features in severely myopic
eyes with posterior staphyloma. Retinal detachment may precede the formation of a
macular hole in severely myopic eyes.